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Week of May 10th, 2020

May 7, 2020

On May 1st the Bishops of the United States participated in a Renewal of the Consecration of the United States of America to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of: “Mary, Mother of the Church.” Bishop Kettler also encouraged all pastors to make this consecration during one of their regularly scheduled Sunday liturgies as well. You may have prayed this prayer or seen it in one of the virtual Masses that you attended. This was in response to the current Covid-19 pandemic as we ask for Mary’s help in alleviating the effects of this crisis. Mary has been our spiritual mother, beginning at Pentecost when she was present when the church was born. Today, she still attends to our needs and helps us grow in the life of Christ. It is for this reason and more that each year the Church looks to Mary in the month of May to especially be our Mother, protector and help. May is such a beautiful month in Spring as flowers begin to grow, trees begin to shoot out their leaves, gardens begin to sprout and new born animals are brought forth. It a real sign of life, and so what better time to celebrate, honor and seek the guidance of our heavenly mother, Mary as well who brought forth the author of all life, Jesus Christ!

May is also the month in which we celebrate and honor our earthy mothers as well on this Mother’s Day weekend. This is the time we remember our moms, both living and deceased, and we say, “Thank you!” for the sacrifices they have made to bring us to life, for the time they’ve spent nurturing us as we grew into adulthood and for praying for us as we set off on our own. God has put into the heart of a mother, a real share in his unconditional love which does not count the costs. For this reason we ask God to bless our mothers, our grandmothers, our great-grandmothers, and anyone who has played the role of mother in our life. God sought to it that his Only Begotten Son should have an earthly mother so that he might experience the tenderness of human love, and so we thank God for Mary our Mother as well.

One final note: Recently you may have heard Bishop Kettler speak about slowly lifting some of the restrictions on our religious gatherings. This said, I hope this continues. For now, he is allowing some Eucharistic Adoration and prayer times in various parish churches while keeping social distance and other guideline restrictions. Sad to say, there is to be no “public Masses” yet, at least not until May 18th or even longer depending on Governor Walz’s restrictions. Our bishop’s hope is that this will give some relief to those who long for the Eucharist and to pray in a sacred space. Be sure to check out our ACC website, ACC bulletin, or other parish’s information for the dates and times of Eucharistic Adoration that are available to you.

My hope is that many of our current restrictions will be lifted sooner than later, since more and more people are getting frustrated with not being able to attend Mass and celebrate on a weekly basis. Economically, my prayers also go out to other businesses who need to be able to be opened more so people can have a better means and standard of living. I personally feel there are many more ways this could be done that have not yet been brought forth, while keeping the Corona Virus somewhat at bay. Nonetheless, it’s out of our hands so we will simply have to continue with our current policies and hope for some form of normalcy to return. Let’s continue to pray for an end to this pandemic with Mary our Mother and for people to be patient and generous with one another as we move further in our journey of Faith, Hope and Love. Easter Blessings and Happy Mother’s Day everyone!